Konami and Kojima Productions are holding a Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes boot camp in Nasu, a lovely hot springs town in Japan’s Tochigi prefecture, and the first impressions are filtering from attendees via Twitter.

Power Unlimited Editor Samuel Casado was definitely impressed by the game’s story:

It’s lovely to see how intense @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN’s passion is for proper, epic, emotionally driven, high-end productions.

The VG Resource’s Dazz Brown mentioned his impressions on the engine, gameplay, and about the “two hours long” controversy:

I’d like to point out that this game is not a 2 hour game… Ground Zeroes is a great demonstration of the FOX Engine.

The game now really requires you to look at your surroundings. Objects make noise and get knocked around. Nice on @Konami.

Every soldier in Ground Zeroes has a unique appearance. Their faces, taken from real photos, appear only once per game.

Play Magazine’s Sam Smith was more precise on what kind of completion percentage you’re going to by finishing the game in 90 minutes. He also mentioned that there are less cutscenes and a lot is narrated via audio tapes and gameplay:

Finished GZ for the first time in about 90 minutes. Total game completion? 9%. I think that tells you all you need to know.

A lot of exposition that would have been in cutscenes before is now on audio tapes. Don’t have to pause to listen, thankfully

The whole thing feels faster paced as a result, less reliant on cutscenes with more storytelling through gameplay. It’s great.

Completed a full-stealth run of MGSV:GZ. Stealth is the best it’s been yet. Controls are more fluid while staying true to MGS.

I’m finding 3-5 distinct ways of achieving every objective using only stealth. Going for gun-down run next.

Fox Engine’s facial animations are the best in the industry. Ending to MGSV:GZ is extremely impressive and emotional.

That’s definitely high praise, but we’ll have to wait and see for ourselves how those early impressions will hold up when the actual game will be available on March 18th. Personally, I’m quite optimistic.

Hideo Kojima and his team have yet to deliver a bad (or even mediocre) game, and while this one may be a bit on the short side, the same can be said about movies. That doesn’t prevent us from enjoying our DVDs. Time will tell.

Join the Discussion

Just because someone has a different opinion than the one you heard first, doesn’t mean that opinion is “damage control” ….maybe it’s YOUR opinion that is “damaged” ??

MGS 1 is one of THE best rated PS1 games.

MGS 2 is one of THE best rated PS2 games.

MGS 3 is one of THE best rated PS2 games.

MGS 4 is one of THE best rated PS3 games.

MGS Peace Walker is one of THE best rated PS Vita games.

MGS V? Well, MY opinion is that it will be one of THE best rated PS4 games
QUALITY > QUANTITY. And wait for the reviews before you start crying “damage control” …because all you nerds on the internet look just like that… like over-reactive nerds who always jump the gun without looking at ALL the facts.

I’m not saying MGS V WILL be great, I’m saying there’s a DAMN good chance it will be. If you guys don’t want to pay $20 – $40 for one of the best game series EVER created… then DON’T. Nobody is forcing you. As you can see though, I’m a huge MGS fan…and many others are…. and MGS fans know that MGS has always had QUALITY.

Michael Alan

MGS V probably will be one of the best, but this is MGS V: Ground Zero, a prequel to the actual real MGS V release. Similar to Gran turismo prologue.

PrinceHeir

i agree in some of your list except for Peace Walker.

the story is garbage, it’s a disgrace to MGS3.

Portable Ops followed the story much faithfully and much better than Peace Walker will ever be.

Anime10121

This!

I literally laugh when people say Peace Walker had a good story! A well written one? Maybe, but good…lolnope.

I hate the fact that Kojima treats Portable Ops like the Red headed step child because I found it MUCH more compelling as a MGS title in everything but gameplay.

Spencer Shea

PO isn’t even Canon, Peace walker was great? It showed the evolution of Big Boss and how he slowly becomes who he will be

PrinceHeir

Portable Ops IS Canon. it’s the first game where they revealed the FIRST Metal Gear in existence(Raxa) by Sokolov using Granin’s original documents where he got it from Heuy’s(which they failed to mention on Peace Walker) from MGS3.

Portable Ops also gave hints on who was the person he ordered The Boss’s defection(Coldman) and the leader of The Patriots(same codename as Null aka Zero)

and evolution of Big Boss? lol he was wimpering and crying as hell in Peace Walker while in Portable Ops he refused to follow The Boss’s footsteps and would rather live a life different from her.

he never once had any trauma during Portable Ops. he accepted that The Boss betrayed her country in order for her to get the legacy which he thinks is foolish.

even though he wanted to know what truly happened to The Boss by the end of Portable Ops, he didn’t cried or suffered at the end, but rather it made him realize that he needed to do something in order for other soldiers to not make the same mistake The Boss did.

that’s why he accepted the title of Big Boss created the army in the first place. it’s a symbol of being above of The Boss and in order to stop being used by the government and dying just for the mission.

the opening sequence of Peace Walker we already see Big Boss being scarred to death just for hearing her voice in the tape which i think is pathetic.

and most of the essential features of Portable Ops were stolen to Peace Walker.

Base recruiting? building and leveling up soldiers? all Peace Walker did is streamline the system by adding fulton recovery and adding more battle tanks.

Portable Ops is my favorite in the storyline, amazing bosses, introduction of Null aka Gray Fox, fighting the the new Fox members, Gene being one of the most badass villains in the series on par with Liquid Snake, which is funny considering that the relationship between him and Big Boss mirrors of Solid Snake and Liquid Snake.

it really followed MGS3 and its one of the few MGS games that is not MADE by him, but was still be able to connect the story as faithfully as possible.

Peace Walker had barely any references to MGS3 aside from the Eva tapes about The Boss. not even the aftermath on what happened on MGS3 which Portable Ops mentions about finding the legacy as well as building the new Fox group.

i don’t even know what new mechanic Peace Walker introduced in the franchise aside from building your Metal Gear and some co-op play.

Kojima thinks he can’t pass the torch of the series, i actually think it was already in the right hands when Portable Ops was made, shame due to his ego he probably refused to acknowledge it.

Spencer Shea

Hideos reason for not including it in collections was he said himself he does not view it as all canon. And as for ”lol he was wimpering and crying as hell” You clearly have no matured through personal relationships, He was pained through out MGS3 and it was clear it effected it him through peacewalker it logically would through his personalty type, Its ending shows his getting over it, And through out the story it shows how powerful a character the boss was effecting so many people

PrinceHeir

did you even check the link that i gave you?

he says it’s an important “missing link” for MGS4, and at that time the game and MGS4 were simultaneously being released, so of course he wasn’t sure how the story will be connected.

it is still canon, it’s been reference on the official MGS site, MGS4, and mechanics to Peace Walker.

“You clearly have no matured through personal relationships,”

so mourning and crying is the only way to have a strong relationship? and not taking a lesson, learning from it and moving forward in order for this event to not happened again?

and no, Snake isn’t that type of person who gets affected and mourn so easily. if that’s the case, he should be mourning throughout MGS3 with the bikini atoll test incident where multiple of his friends didn’t survived the nuclear after blast.

actually Portable Ops did the exact same thing in the ending. and you know what happened? he suddenly had another trauma then suddenly he gets it over with a second time in Peace Walker.

and Kojima glorified The Boss like some messiah or something. she wasn’t like that, she’s only the mother of special forces and a well respected soldier, that’s it. she wasn’t this Mary figure that would the end the war forever.

and how come The Boss affected the world when no barely anyone knows her other than being Legendary soldier of the US?

she never shared any personal information to anyone, and the only ones who truly know her were the Cobra unit group(especially The Sorrow)

not even Big Boss nor Strangelove have a slightest clue what she truly is. what she feels towards love, what she thinks of war. all she knows is the mission and doing whatever it takes to finish it.

that’s what made her a fool, and that’s why Big Boss would never ever follow her footsteps.

this is what i think and what i have learned with playing the series. you are free to believe what you want since it’s your choice. i’m curious on how other players interpret the events of the series.

Kojima tried to dramatize Peace Walker, but failed. instead of making it a natural progression of MGS3, he decided to make things more dramatic and sympathetic. Big Boss gets over The Boss at the end of Peace Walker, yet in Ground Zeroes he becomes all depressed once again for some reason.

i would understand if its Phantom Pain since that’s when the Mother Base was destroyed and he get’s injured badly and goes into coma.

funny thing is that in the original Japanese trailers, you can see Snake smiling when he said “Kept you waiting”, yet in the western version he looks grumpy as hell after the phrase.

we will see how Kojima truly evolves Big Boss in MGSV. i want to know how will Big Boss declare the war against the world.

hopefully we will see it by the end of the game.

Spencer Shea

It explains how she effects others through the story tapes that most of peace walkers story is told through, Big Boss in MGS3 is still the child that The Boss raised from 15 then left, The only real relationship he ever had, All else he knew was battle, Why peace walker shows him mourning and then saying the boss betrayed him as he throws away her memory’s and becomes the man he becomes, Also stating in his last moments how he died when he killed her, I thought most of PO was good, But Hideo himself stated most of it isn’t canon, It progressed awkwardly

Michael Norris

Peace Walker is Psp you mean..i would love to see a new MGS on Vita tho.

Shawn

Exactly what this is is damage control point blank period !! Is it going to be amazing absolutely will it be one of a kind and gripping obviously everything kojima does is, But all that just dont justify the price of this thing period and all you idiots will drop to the knee and suck at the teet and buy it then it will be commonplace in the industry and you same idiots have the nerve to bitch about micro-transactions etc… dont buy the glorified demo and buy the deluxe edition where it will obviously ship with phantom pain…

Giuseppe Nelva

Do you feel bad every time you buy a… oh my god, two hour long movie?

Mikeherp Derp

Higher framerate confirmed?

Gerry Gantry

It’s not confirmed yet, but it’s obvious the better version will be on the PS4. I’ll be SHOCKED if both versions have the same resolution and or frame rate.

buh bu bh supercomputer, GDDR5, data runs on mag lev for super high speed, the circular bus is actually a particle accelerator that change properties based on needs and harnesses new elements!!!

Mikeherp Derp

*facepalm*

Psionicinversion

you know you enjoyed that one :d

Guest

Good one lol

Giuseppe Nelva

Framerate is probably gonna be the same or similar. If there’s a difference it’s probably gonna be in resolution.

Mikeherp Derp

“smoother” would imply framerate, but we’ll see. It could be one or both. BF4 and Tomb Raider had both higher res and framerate.

Giuseppe Nelva

The reason why I tell that is that Kojima promised framerate as the distingishing factor between old gen and next gen, so unless he eats it back it should be resolution. May be wrong though.

Gerry Gantry

“damage control” Just shut up Kamille you moron. There is no need for damage control. The gameplay, story and graphics will speak for themselves when the game get’s released. I can’t wait for this game.

Getting hype as f*ck about this. Metal Gear has always ushered me into a new generation and this looks like it’ll be no different.

Pleased to hear about the improved controls as well, MGS4 was always very clunky especially with CQC.

Jan Compaf

You are flat out wrong , MGS4 controls ARE the best of any TPS game i have ever played so far and i play mostly TPS games since PS1.
MGS4 controlling scheme is the most complete ever , being able to do any action you wanted from different positions gives a diverse gameplay.
and since there is no Snake Hayter in this game , Kojima wont get my money and besides its a 2hours and 1 minute game , a glorified DEMO , go get milked.

Michael Norris

Kojima already said the Ps4 version was the better of the two.Welcome to gen8 Ps4 has the better hardware period end of story.

val

“Controls are much, much better than in MGS4.”

MGS4 remains as having the most precise controls of a 3rd person console shooter. Particularly the camera control and I don’t know another game that lets you both lob and overarm grenades. PS4 controller is no longer pressure sensitive so can’t allow that. I’m very skeptical of this statement – it leads me to worry that the controls have been dumbed down.

Jan Compaf

the guy is clearly a n00b posing as a nerd as like that would validate his “opinion” somehow

benbenkr

Well… if the side missions are anything as generic as Peace Walker, there’s no point in playing them. Here’s hoping it isn’t.

Steven Solidarios

Coming soon without bluray…

Sudarsan Ragavan

Hope they didn’t dumb down the controls, refined version of MGS4 controls to suit open world gameplay would suffice

Ryse son of the rome six hour terminio, Greats Metal gear GZ two hours terminio nota 4.0 .
Lixo ao extremo. Ryse Son of The Rome epic game next gen.

DK Kevin

kojima say ps4 so powerfull why that EA say not enough power to make titanfall..= =EA u so disappointed for sony….

Allan

PS4 was definitely always gonna be better. It’s just faster, end of story. However, given Kojima’s historical leanings toward Sony, I wonder how much, if any, optimization was done for the X1. He knows that’s not where his audience is, and I doubt many X1 owners give a crap about MGS either.